I have been looking for personal statement templates for a CV, the most common advice is to avoid using buzzwords, as far as I can tell this means using less commonly used buzzwords so as to “stand out from the crowd”. A torturous logic of trying to “sell yourself” whilst battling against “authenticity’s” rebranding, digging for adjective rarities and discarding the unfashionable / overused ones. Perhaps it is not this at all, perhaps it is being “bold”, “thinking outside the box” and using an image instead of a personal statement?
Tempted to use this. But the joblessness-induced dread is strong.
(Still yet to write that personal statement).
The following horrors are taken from the Jobsite article ‘Your CV’s Personal Statement – Get it Right‘:
Don’t fall into the trap of using tired, old phrases
Don’t state the obvious – we’ve all seen these phrases before. What you need to do is give us something that makes you stand out. What are your capabilities? What can you bring to the table?
It’s not the place to tell a story
Your statement should be in third person and written in an objective way. It needs to read like a sales or marketing brochure, all about you: what service are you selling? Does it demonstrate who you are? What is your position in the marketplace? Why are you the right service provider to do the job? Keep it short and impersonal.
We don’t want to see your face
The golden rule with CVs is never give someone a reason not to call you. So, if they can find something negative on your CV, they will, and this could be your picture
Don’t be afraid to sell yourself
It’s not just about having the capability to do the job anymore – out of 100 applicants, 80 will be as qualified as you. An employer will be looking for someone who can give him a good rate of return in his investment.
(SENDHELP)
